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As one of the most popular men in sports entertainment, Randy Orton has garnered a lot of coverage from inside and outside the wrestling world.
His issues during his time as a member of the United States Marine Corps have become common knowledge to wrestling fans. It is also common knowledge that he followed in the footsteps of his grandfather Bob Orton Sr. and his father, Bob Orton Jr., in becoming a wrestling star.
However, there are still many things that several fans do not know about The Viper. From his early days in the industry to his Twitter spats with celebrities, here are a few interesting facts that you should know about the former WWE Champion.
With that being said, take a look at the five things you probably didn’t know about WWE’s resident Legend Killer, Randy Orton.
#5. Randy Orton started his career as a referee before joining WWE
The early years of a professional wrestler’s career are usually the toughest ones. They start by carrying other wrestlers’ equipment and driving them around. Many wrestlers even have to compete in countless squash matches before they get noticed by those in power.
Orton had a slightly different start to his career. He donned the white and black striped shirt and refereed a few matches early on.
The Viper’s uncle Barry Orton got him a referee gig at World Organized Wrestling. Barry Orton was working with the promotion at the time and decided to give his nephew a chance to get closer to the action.
#4. The Apex Predator had a Twitter feud with Soulja Boy
Randy Orton is known as one of the most vicious competitors in the ring. He is also known as one of the most respected superstars in the industry. In February 2021, Orton got into a Twitter feud with rap star Soulja Boy while defending his company.
It all started when Soulja Boy posted a tweet saying:
"Rap game faker than WWE."
WWE Superstars T-BAR quickly called out the rap star and reminded him how tough it is to perform in the ring. The Viper quoted T-BAR's tweet and backed him up while reminding Soulja Boy that wrestling is not an easy profession.
Things quickly escalated, and both men took some shots at each other before The Viper told the rapper to back up his words. Soulja Boy appeared in an interview on Hot 97's Ebro in the Morning to talk about what happened between him and Randy Orton. He said he had respect for WWE, and The Viper was right to defend himself.
"He [Orton] has a right to speak on how he feels, so I can’t knock him for that, but at the same time, I’m gonna defend myself. Y’know what I’m saying? So, it’s like, people know I like the WWE. Like people know back in the day, with Stone Cold and The Rock and stuff like that, but at the end of the day, I said what I said. I’m not gonna take it back," Soulja Boy said.
Over the years, Orton has proven that he’s not someone to mess with inside or outside the ring. He put the rap star in his place while defending his company.
#3. He used The Best in the World's theme song as his entrance theme
Randy Orton has one of the most iconic entrance themes in the wrestling industry. He has been using Rev Theory's Voices since 2008, along with a few other themes. After Orton started using Voices as his entrance music, Rev Theory's fanbase began expanding.
Matt McClosky, Rev Theory's bassist and vocalist, spoke about how the song came to life:
"[We Own The Night] and [Hangman] were songs we wrote that they thought were fitting. [Voices] was a collaboration with their guy. He had an idea and we went into the studio and did our version of what we thought the song would be and it ended up being Randy’s theme song. There’s not a post we put online where someone doesn’t comment ‘VOICES!’ Everything we post," McClosky said.
Meanwhile, Randy Orton used one particular theme for just one night before it became the entrance music for another WWE megastar. During an episode of SmackDown in May 2006, The Viper came out to This Fire Burns by Killswitch Engage instead of his usual theme song, Burn in My Light, at the time.
For those who don’t know, This Fire Burns was picked up by CM Punk as his entrance theme a few months later. Punk used the song for a few years before switching to his iconic Cult of Personality theme in 2011. Meanwhile, Orton has continued to use Voices for well over a decade now.
#2. The Viper surprisingly did not like his iconic entrance music
As mentioned earlier, Randy Orton has been using Rev Theory's song Voices as his entrance music for a long time. The song has become synonymous with the 14-time world champion.
Interestingly though, The Viper did not like the song at first. While he never directly spoke to WWE composer Jim Johnston about his dislike of the song, the latter has talked about how Randy Orton hated the music.
"I never spoke to him directly, but apparently, Randy Orton said he hated his theme. I don't know if he still does and I don't even know why, but apparently, that was true. I never spoke with him about it," Johnston said.
Jim Johnston helped WWE create iconic entrance music for top superstars such as The Undertaker, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and The Rock. He has also spoken about how the legendary Yokozuna also hated his entrance music and requested to change it.
Fans of the WWE Superstar believe that the song fits extremely well with Orton’s character.
#1. Randy Orton's brother is a comedian
Not many WWE Superstars are as serious as Randy Orton. Fans have only recently seen a much lighter side to the 14-time world champion after he teamed up with Riddle to form RK-Bro.
Many fans are aware of the fact that Dolph Ziggler and his brother are both professional comedians. What many fans may not know is that Randy Orton's brother is also a stand-up comedian.
Randy's brother, Nathan, garnered the courage to get on stage after watching Funniest Person in St. Louis in 2013. A year later, Nathan won the competition and began touring as a full-time comedian.
The following is an excerpt from Nathan's website:
"Being from a family full of professional wrestlers, Nathan has always been destined to be an entertainer—but has opted out of the physical abuse. It's all emotional."
Randy Orton has helped his brother get some spotlight and has even given him a shoutout on Twitter a few times. The brothers are working hard to entertain people in completely different fields.
Which of these unknown facts did you find most interesting? Let us know in the comments section below.
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